


Blue as the Ocean

by ElpisGalaxy



Category: Charlie Bone Universe - Jenny Nimmo
Genre: Angst, M/M, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Not dialogue heavy, Slow Burn, more characters added as they appear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:54:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29012370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElpisGalaxy/pseuds/ElpisGalaxy
Summary: Even though the battle of the red knight happened over three years ago, Dagbert still has no idea why Charlie was so willing to trust him back then. He also doesn't know how he's supposed to feel about his friend. A trip to the coast and an unexpected friendship changes everything.
Relationships: Charlie Bone/Dagbert Endless
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

_In the years that had followed the death of his father, Dagbert’s life had slowly changed. The curse on his family was broken. His mood didn’t feel so controlled by the phases of the moon. And his life with Mrs. Kettle had offered more stability than he ever known. However, not everything had gotten better. The endowed kids that remained at Bone Academy were divided on their opinions of him. While some like Charlie, and Billy had remained friendly, others like Tancred and Emma barely wanted anything to do with him. Which was understandable considering he’d nearly drowned Tancred years ago. Others students such as Bragger Braine, and his best friend Rupert still remained hostile toward him. For that, he didn’t blame them either.  
The fact that Lyell Bone, Charlie’s father had still let him go to school after all that happened was surprising. In many ways, it made him feel more vulnerable. The days where he used his powers to intimidate others were gone now. He didn’t want to keep accidentally drowning others. Three times was more than enough. Instead, he focused on learning to live his life on his own terms. He still relied on the sea-gold charms his mother made him but that was more for nostalgia than for safety._

“Do you have any plans for the weekend?” Charlie’s voice from the next bed over suddenly jerked Dagbert out of his thoughts. He had been attempting to study but found himself distracted yet again.  
“Not really.” Dagbert shrugged. “Just some homework and maybe going to the Pet’s Cafe if there’s time. Why?”  
“Uncle Paton was planning on taking my parents Billy and I to the coast to visit our relative. Billy no longer wants to go since Rembrandt doesn’t like the ocean so we have an extra seat open in Uncle Paton’s van if you’re interested.”

“Yeah, that sounds like fun actually.” Dagbert found himself saying.

“Great! We’re planning to leave on friday afternoon after the last classes are over for the day. So meet us about 45 minutes after that at the doors to the great hall.”

As the conversation finished, Dagbert went back to studying as he tried to ignore the whispers beside him coming from Charlie’s bed as Fidelio dragged him out of the room. Charlie glanced back him and grinned sheepishly before disappearing from view. Dagbert just sighed, he wasn’t going to try and let Fidelio ruin the rest of his week. Fidelio had made it no secret over the years that he disliked him. While he had stopped with the comments about the fishy smell that used to follow him everywhere, he still acted awkward around him and refused to meet his gaze. He also sometimes got upset whenever he talked to Charlie. Dagbert had no idea what that was about.

10 minutes later, Charlie returned to the room looking rather annoyed and Dagbert tried to look like he wasn’t paying any attention. As much as he wanted to know what had been said, at he didn’t want to know. It was probably the usual thing that most people got upset about. Inviting Dagbert anywhere where there was lots of water was seen as taboo, especially if it was salt water. What they didn’t seem to realize was that water was all around them, in the pipes that ran through the walls of the school, in the air around them and also in their bodies. Unless you took him to a desert, there was no way to shut his power off. If anything, the death of his father had made him more stable. The little things that had bothered him before didn’t affect him now. If anything he had grown numb to the attitudes of Fidelio and his classmates who believed he hadn’t changed. A lot of times he wondered if they were actually right.


	2. Chapter 2

Dagbert had used the one of the phones the staff kept on hand to call Mrs. Kettle and let her know his weekend plans had changed. As expected, she was fine with him doing that. She always seemed happy to see him hanging out with his friends even if it wasn’t always often and only seemed to be with Charlie or Billy. He reassured her that he’d get his homework done and headed off to bed, relaxed for the first time in what felt like a while. The eerie green light briefly appeared on the ceiling above him and he quickly tensed up, glancing around to see if it anyone had noticed it. But almost all the other boys in the room were fast asleep. All except for Charlie who met his gaze.

“Are you okay?” he whispered, with a note of concern in his voice. Dagbert figured he probably hadn’t seen the eerie green light in months and assumed something was up when it really wasn’t.  
“I’m fine,” he told him and rolled over and tried to go to sleep. Which felt impossible now for some reason. Slowly as the night wore on, Dagbert found himself becoming more and more tired before he slipped into a dreamless sleep.

The rest of the week went by uneventfully. Fidelio seemed noticeably more neutral than he had in previous weeks and he hoped whatever Charlie had told him had changed his opinion about him. The King’s room was still the place where the endowed children still did their homework. It wasn’t forced upon them anymore but they still did so anyways. Without Manfred interrupting him anymore, Charlie was often seen gazing up at the portrait, but still unable to go in. Homework also went a lot smoother without the endowed children on both sides fighting each other. Lysander and Tancred were the unoffical leaders of the group as Dr. Saltweather didn’t see any reason to really supervise them all too often.

Friday arrived without much notice and as they day wore on, Dagbert found himself looking forward more and more to getting out of the city. As much as he hated to admit it, the water was calling to him more than ever. He missed openly being able to harness it, but after the previous times it had happened at the academy he felt like his power was a bit too dangerous. 

He met Charlie and his father at the meeting spot and they waited for Paton to arrive once all the students had cleared out. Charlie and his father were discussing piano playing techniques. Since his father had came back, Charlie had switched from the trumpet over to the piano and had already made far more progress on that instrument than he ever did with the trumpet. It also allowed him and his father to get to know each other better after being separated for 10 years.

“We should get going,” Paton had arrived behind them.  
“Okay,” Charlie and Lyell finished their discussion of musical scales and Dagbert followed them out to the van. Amy had ended up staying at their house to keep an eye on Billy which ended up meaning there was more room for Uncle Paton’s research. Which seemed to consist of several large unmarked boxes. Dagbert found himself crammed into one of the backseats next to Charlie and another box. Dagbert had initially been planning to study for exams on the trip over but judging how little room there was, it was going to have to wait. 

Dagbert had forgotten how long the trip to the coast was. Paton was driving now and the sky was turning darker. He yawned and looked over at Charlie who had also yawned. They had been sitting there for a few hours now. The ride had mostly been in silence. Both boys and also the adults had been tired from the week already and wanted nothing more than to crawl into a warm bed and sleep. Paton preferred driving at night because it was easier for him, which was understandable but also exhausting. Before Dagbert realized it, Charlie had nodded off and had slowly slumped onto Dagbert’s shoulder. He froze for a second, a part of him wondering what to do before ultimately deciding to let it be. The presence, albeit strange, was slightly comforting. Plus there was really anywhere else where he could go. Before long Dagbert felt himself nodding off as well and he soon slumped slightly to the side against Paton’s large box he had left on the seat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates might be slow for a bit since I need to reread Book 6-8 to nail down Dagbert's character better.

**Author's Note:**

> Since this series takes place in the mid 2000s, I'm trying to make it accurate to the time technology and societally. If you notice any big errors, let me know. I do have a basic storyline planned but I'm expecting things to change as I write.


End file.
